Travel Guides

Sipadan Island

This mushroom-shaped island is known among divers around the
world for its unique seascape and exceptional beauty. A rich
variety of marine life shimmers through the translucent waters
surrounding this oceanic island: something like 3,000 species of
fish, hundreds of species of coral, and numerous turtles, rays and
sharks frequent the area. Sipadan Island tops the Malaysian
itinerary for serious scuba divers; it is located in the world's
most bio-diverse marine habitat, and is frequently called the best
dive site on the planet. The famous underwater explorer Jacques
Cousteau described the underwater world of Sipadan as 'an untouched
piece of art'.

In an attempt to keep it untouched, the Malaysian government has
taken measures to preserve the fragile ecosystem. The island was a
disputed territory, claimed by both Malaysia and Indonesia, until
2002 when it was ruled part of Malaysia. Since then the dive
resorts were ordered off the island, the amount of divers allowed
in the water per day was limited, and night dives were banned. This
means you can't stay on the island itself, but there are popular
resorts nearby, like the Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort and the
Sipadan Pom Pom Resort.